


Contracts signed in blood

by myotishia



Series: Psyonic [18]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Ianto talks out some issues, like he should have been able to do years ago
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:21:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29320074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myotishia/pseuds/myotishia
Summary: A lunch break catch up opens both old wounds and new ones.
Relationships: Gwen Cooper/Rhys Williams, Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones, Owen Harper/Toshiko Sato
Series: Psyonic [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1766956
Comments: 22
Kudos: 18





	1. Out in the open

Childlike giggling drifted through Melodys ears, echoing from her dreams the night before, as she got ready for work. It was a chilly day so she grabbed her coat and gloves before heading out. That was before she ran back for the guitar bag she’d forgotten. Ianto had mentioned his nephew was taking lessons but couldn’t really afford to have his own to practice, and as she had her old practice guitar just sitting around gathering dust she was happy to gift it to him. She’d restrung it and tested it the night before. She’d even managed to find her old mini practice amp for him to use. The cold air hit her lungs and made her cough as she made her way to work. The walk had become second nature but the extra weight she was carrying made it a little more of a slog than usual. By the time she walked into the tourist information centre she was out of breath and ready to warm up. As if he’d predicted her entrance at that moment Ianto walked in and placed a mug of coffee on the counter for her. 

“Thanks.” She beamed, sliding the bag strap off her shoulder. “Everything going ok this morning?”

He nodded, drinking from his own mug. “It’s been quiet. You didn’t need to bring those in. I could have picked them up after work.”

“You’re seeing Rhiannon at lunch aren’t you?”

“As long as nothing pulls me away, yes. We were going to take David and Mica to the park, being as they’re both off school today.”

“Oh?”

“Something about preparations for an easter festival. I didn’t ask the details.”

“I wish my school had been that into anything. The most we got was paper eggs drawn by the nursery class plastered all over the walls. It works out though. David can take his guitar home with him.”

“Actually Rhi asked if you’d be able to come along.”

“Me?”

He sat down, moving the small woodstock plush next to the keyboard aside so he could put down his cup. “She said she never got the chance to really thank you for helping to find Mica. You don’t have to if you’ll be uncomfortable.”

“I don’t mind. I was more worried about making you uncomfortable.”

“Think of it like I can nudge you for an easy distraction away from sensitive topics.”

“So, I’m your conversational wingman.” She giggled. 

“I suppose so. I don’t know which is worse, when she asks about my job or Jack.”

“Why don’t you just talk to her about him?”

“If I do she’ll want to meet him and I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet.”

“Will you ever be?”

He didn’t answer, instead he sipped his coffee and tapped the mouse to wake up the ancient looking computer.

“Going by everything you’ve told me she’s never going to give up.”

“It’s a matter of who’s more stubborn.”

“That is not a competition I’d put money on.”

Rhiannon waved as she saw Ianto pull up. She walked over with a smile. 

“Hello stranger.”

He nodded a hello as he stepped out of the car. “The kids already busy?”

“David’s in the middle of a game of football and Mica’s over on the swings with one of her friends.”

“Good. Good. Oh, Melody brought her old practice guitar for David.”

“Really?” 

Melody pulled the case out of the boot. “I hope he doesn’t mind a bit of dust on the case.”

“Are you sure I can’t give you anything for this?”

“Naa. It was made to be used so I’d rather the little lad use it than it sit in my cupboard. It’s got new strings and I tuned it so it’s ready to go.”

“Thank you so much for this. I couldn’t believe the prices when I looked.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve just got a new one with custom paint and I try not to think just how much I spent on it.”

“Oh? What did you get?”

“It’s glittery and fades from pink to light blue. It’s gorgeous but I’ve used up my birthday and christmas presents to myself for a while.”

“Very fancy. Right, let me put these in the car and we can sit down. Shame it’s not a nicer day.”

Ianto grabbed the cables and amp. “I’ll do it if you both want to go and sit down.”

“If you want to.” She took her keys from her pocket and handed them over. As he walked away she smiled and spoke a little more quietly to Melody. “So, being as he’ll never tell me anything, what is going on with him and this boyfriend of his?”

Mel giggled softly. “What do you want to know?”

“Why won’t he even let me properly meet him. It’s been years. Is he ashamed?”

“What? No, no. It’s just that Jack’s…”

“What? Don’t tell me he’s one of those snobby types.”

“Not at all. It’s just he’s... American.”

She sat and tried to parse what that even meant. “Is that a euphemism for something?”

“No, it’s just I think there’s a bit of sensitivity with cultural differences. Jack’s kind of loud and… Well, you know those old war films where the hero pilot walks in with a huge grin and everyone in the place swoons.”

“Yea.”

“Well, that’s Jack. He’s a good man but sometimes he doesn’t know when to shut up. He flirts like he breathes and with how introverted Ianto is… It can be complicated.”

“So, my brother’s been hiding his boyfriend because of social anxiety?”

“Give or take, yea. Just… Give him time, and maybe tell your other half to keep the friendly jabs to himself. He doesn’t mean any harm, I know, but I think it makes the anxiety worse.”

“This is why I wish he’d just talk to me.”

“Siblings don’t talk to each other unless the world is ending.”

“True.” She laughed. “Sorry, I invited you here to thank you for helping find Mica and I’ve got you gossiping.”

“I don’t mind and I’m glad I could help.”

“The police officer said you helped find missing kids before. Are you a social worker or…”

Melody began playing with the pendant around her neck. “Not exactly.”

“Wait… Are you actually a psychic? I thought it was just code or something.”

“I’m a telepath. I read minds, not futures and stuff. It’s ok if you don’t believe me.”

“You found my baby girl, I don’t care how you did it.” She smiled but there was something troubling her just beneath the surface. 

Ianto saw it the second he sat down and handed over the borrowed car keys. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Rhi… What’s going on?”

“You’re going to think I’ve gone mad.”

He glanced between the two, Mel looking as confused as he was. “I won’t.”

“Well,” she sighed deeply, “since Mica walked off that day… Sometimes I hear her talking to someone who I know isn’t there. I took her to the doctor but she won’t talk about it to anyone. I don’t know if something happened while she was there and…”

“There was noone else when we got there.”

“I know. I don’t want to think the worst.”

Melody reached over tentatively and took her hand. “No one hurt her. I promise. Sometimes kids deal with traumatic events in strange ways.”

“That’s what the councillor said but… It just feels so wrong, you know? Where’s she gone now?” Rhiannon stood and looked around the park. “Mica!” She called, getting no reply. “Tania, did you see where Mica went?”

A little girl in a red coat looked up and shook her head. “She was here a second ago.”

Mel stood from the bench. “You two catch up. I’m sure she’s just playing hide and seek or something. I used to wander off all the time as a kid, I’ll find her.”

“Thanks.” Rhiannon sat, no colour left in her face as she watched the woman walk off towards the play area. 

Ianto took her hands. “It’ll be ok. What happened just shook you up.”

“Y-yea… Sorry. I’m becoming one of  **those** mums. If I’d panicked every time you’d run off when we were kids I’d be a nervous wreck to this day.”

“I always came back.”

“Yea, usually dragged by your ear… Sorry.”

“It’s… It’s ok. I’m doing a bit better with that kind of thing.”

“Oh?”

“The past year my head’s been clearer and I’ve been trying to just… Sort the past out.”

“When dad just up and left I never expected for you to look for him. I thought you’d turned your back on all of us.”

He stared down at the table, squeezing her hand softly. “I needed space. I never meant to turn my back on you or mum. I just needed to find out who I was without that voice in my ear all the time.”

“And dad?”

“I… He had problems.”

“He loved you.”

“No, he loved the idea of a son that followed in his outdated footsteps. Someone I couldn’t be. When I wasn’t what he wanted he turned to drink.”

“Ianto-”

“Please, don’t make excuses for him. If he was just like that to me then I could cope… I could walk away and move on, but he left you and mum. That’s not what a dad does. I don’t care how old fashioned he was, he didn’t need to abandon his family.” He bit back tears he wished would just go. They weren’t of sadness, they were of rage at what his father was. “He was a coward.”

She looked away and took a long, deep, breath. “I wish you’d talked to me more.”

“You never believed me when I did so I just… Stopped… I don’t blame you, you know? You were a child too. You just had to react to what you thought was right. Mum did her best but as we got older I think she was a bit lost too.”

“I wish I saw what you did. My memories are so different.”

“Rhi, you were the little princess of the family. Of course you didn’t. I was meant to be the tough little boy who got scraped knees and collected frogs. You fell over and you got a hug. I fell over and I got bollocked for crying. Boys don’t cry. Boys should be out playing, not reading in their rooms. Boys should be rowdy and loud, not shy and quiet. We were treated differently and I couldn’t take it.”

“That’s why you started playing up.”

“I needed out. It’s sad but when I got caught shoplifting I thought it was my ticket out of there. Anywhere but back home. When the judge said I’d just get community service I…”

“I thought you were just angry.”

“I was. I was angry at the world.”

There was a tense silence between them that seemed to stretch on forever, heavy and cloying. She sniffed and pulled a tissue from her coat pocket, wiping her eyes. 

“You’re happy now, aren’t you?” It was an honest question. She hated to see her brother in pain. 

He gave her a soft smile in reply. “I am.”

It was at that moment that Mica came sprinting out of the trees that sat close to the park, tears running down her face. “Mum! Uncle Ianto!” She cried, tripping and skidding across the grass.

They ran over to meet her and help her up.

“What happened?” Rhiannon asked, brushing the mud and grass off the front of the little girls coat. 

Mica tried to catch her breath through sobs. “In the trees… Monster in the trees… Melody said to get you.... Said I should run back… To you and mum…”

“A monster?”

Ianto looked to the treeline. “Is she hurt?”

“She said… To give you this.” Mica opened her hand to show a crumpled piece of paper, the familiar Torchwood logo printed in the top corner. It didn’t need words on it to tell him that this ‘monster’ was more than just a child making sense of the world. 

He brushed a tear from her cheek and put on a comforting smile. “It’s ok. Go and sit with your mum and calm down, ok?”

She nodded and cuddled into her mum as Ianto stood and headed towards the treeline.


	2. Belief

Melody didn’t want to get too on edge just yet. She could feel Micas fear but hoped she’d just fallen over or seen some kind of wildlife that had startled her. She’d just find her and lead her back to the park. Her hopes were dashed when she heard the girls voice.

“Leave me alone! I don’t want to go with you.” 

Mel dashed towards the voice and saw a twisted, greenish skinned creature trying to pull Mica away by the wrist. “Leave her alone!” She shouted. 

The creature looked up and bore its sharp teeth. “She’s ours.”

“Like hell she is. You just saw her in that mushroom circle and decided to mess with her. Let her go before I make you!”

Childlike laughter swirled around the area. “There’s nothing you can do.”

“Then what do you want in exchange?” She could barely feel this creatures mind, let alone invade it, so she needed to change her tactics. Her nan had taught her about fairies as a child. They played games and tricks. Fun came above everything else and that meant she might be able to wager for Micas freedom. 

“What could you give us?”

“I could give you blood?”

The laughter rose again. “We could take that.”

“You can take time, right? Years of life.”

It looked to Mica, who was still trying to pull her arm out of its grasp. “How many?”

“Five.”

“No-”

“Ten. Just take a decade from the end of my natural lifespan and she goes free. You never bother her again.”

It pondered as the air filled with whispers. Finally it let the little girls arm go and she stumbled over to Melody. 

The woman knelt, taking a piece of paper from her coat pocket, just a list written on torchwood stationary, and tore off the corner. “Mica, listen to me. Take this and run right back to your mum and uncle Ianto, ok? Give him this and he’ll know what to do. Don’t stop no matter what you hear, yea?” She tucked the paper into the girls hand and pointed to where she’d come from. Mica gave her a tight hug before sprinting away. 

The fairy hadn’t stopped grinning. “Why did you want to keep her from us?”

“Because,” She pulled herself to her feet and looked over to the creature, “she deserves to be able to live her life without nightmares like you bothering her. She’s told you repeatedly to leave her alone and if it takes me giving up a few extra years of life to make you do that then so be it.”

That laughter filled the air again.

She gasped as she felt a burning in her chest. 

“Ten years from the end of your life. You should have stated when the end of your life was meant to be.”

Rule number one when dealing with the fae, choose your words very carefully. She’d messed up. She hadn’t been careful enough and now she’d never get the chance to fix it. Blood began pouring from her nose and she felt the burning pain intensify as she was lifted off her feet by the creature, its long spindly fingers wrapping around her throat. The world began to blur as the taste of copper filled her mouth, a thin line of golden light drifting from her mouth as her lungs were forcibly emptied of air. She was going to die because she didn’t think her wording through well enough. If she was honest it wasn’t one of the end of life scenarios she’d considered. As the world began to shrink and spin she found herself thrown to the ground. 

“Now, just because she’s an idiot doesn’t mean I’ll let you kill her.” Said a voice she didn’t recognise. It was low and smooth, without a hint of fear. The most she was able to do was roll onto her side and try not to choke. Her vision too blurred to make out what was going on. 

The fairy hissed at whoever this man was. “How?”

“Your ear? Well, you see, I am not a barely evolved ape so I have ways of hurting you. And if you don’t want me to trap your entire race in a space outside of time, I suggest you leave. You broke the deal she offered.”

“We did not.”

“We both know you did. Now leave.”

“We have taken our payment so it is over.”

“It was over before you even arrived.” The man said as he walked towards Melody. “I hope you’re worth all of this trouble. Can’t have you die because of your own ineptitude, can we.”

The fae creatures seemed to flutter away just as Mel felt something stab into the side of her neck. 

She felt the air rush back into her lungs, almost expanding them beyond what they could handle.

“Don’t make me save your life again.” The voice said before his blurred form disappeared, leaving her to continue trying to breathe. 

She could hear Ianto calling her name far off but couldn’t make a sound beyond gargled choking as she threw up a mix of swallowed blood and most of her breakfast. She was thankful that it was apparently loud enough to be heard as the footsteps got louder. 

“Christ! What happened?!” He wasn’t actually asking her as it was clear she couldn’t easily answer. 

Her head swam as her body absorbed as much oxygen as it could. “Fairy.”

“What?!” He asked with a start, helping her sit up.

“It was… A fairy.”

“Mica-”

“Is ok… They’ll leave her alone.”

He held her arms to stop her toppling over. “How? What did you do?”

“Ten years… I gave them ten years… In exchange.”

“You’re not making any sense. Come on, can you walk?”

She nodded and he helped her to her feet. 

Rhiannon had managed to calm Mica down enough to explain what had happened.

“It said it was my friend but… But it wouldn’t leave me alone. I heard it in the trees when it started to drag me away, that’s when Melody found me and told it to let me go.” 

“What exactly did he look like? We’ll make sure the police catch him.” 

“Mum, you’re not listening. It was a monster, not a person. It had sharp teeth and pointy ears.”

“There’s no such things as monsters sweetheart, we’ve spoken about this.”

“But it’s true!”

Rhiannon looked up at the tree line, seeing Ianto emerge, Melody leaning heavily on his arm as they walked. He made his way over and let Mel sit.

“What happened?” Rhiannon dared to ask finally, handing Melody some tissues.

Mel nodded a thank you. “That monster’s never coming back.”

“Oh bloody hell. You didn’t fight them did you?”

“Fight? Me? No, no. I couldn’t fight if I wanted to.” She smiled softly behind the tissues.

Ianto crouched in front of her. “Melody, we should get you looked at.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Please.”

“He’s right. You look white as a ghost.” Rhiannon said softly. 

Melody sighed. “Ok, if it makes you all feel better. Just know that you don’t have to worry anymore, ok?”

Mica nodded and smiled, feeling like someone believed her for once. “When you’re better, can you come to my birthday?”

“If that’s ok with your mum and dad, sure.”

The drive back to the hub was quiet. Not because either of them couldn’t talk but it felt as if they shouldn’t. If Melody was telling the truth then he didn’t even want to think about what that really meant. 

Owen met them in the garage looking a mix of mildly annoyed and concerned. “What were you on about when you called?”

“She says she made a deal with a fairy.” Ianto replied, walking round to help Mel out of the car as she was still light headed. 

“That’s not possible.”

“That’s what I said.”

She sighed. “Look, I don’t know what to tell you. That was a fairy. It was just like the description in the case file and I couldn’t even focus in on its mind.” She staggered a little before he picked her up. “You don’t have to.”

“You might be delirious.” 

“What deal did you make then?” Asked Owen, taking the lead.

She clutched what was left of the bloodstained tissues. “I gave them ten years from the end of my natural life in exchange for leaving Mica alone.”

“Bloody hell, couldn’t you have given anything else?”

“I didn’t lose anything. Telepaths don’t live to their natural lifespan anyway. I messed up anyway because I didn’t get my wording right. If someone hadn’t shown up I would have suffocated.”

“Someone?”

“There was no sign of anyone when I got there. I couldn’t even hear anyone walking away.” Ianto said sceptically, almost certain she’d hallucinated the whole thing.

Melody pouted slightly. “There was someone there and I don’t think they were human. They managed to hurt the fairy. He called me a barely evolved ape and threatened to send the whole fairy race to a space outside of time.”

“You were oxygen deprived.”

“He jabbed me in the neck with something that helped me breathe again, look.” She pulled her collar away to show a red puncture mark.

Owen paused to take a quick look. “Looks more like someone drugged you. Listen, I’ll find out what happened, but you need to rest. Getting worked up isn’t going to help.” 

Gwen had chosen to hold Melodys hand while she had a myriad of tests done. She was very scared of the idea of ever having to deal with fairies again. They were a force of nature with a deep vein of malice running through it. Vicious and completely unstoppable. If there was something that could frighten even them away then that would mean something like that actually existed. 

“I hope I can walk again without getting so light headed soon. I’ve got things I need to get done.” Melody said, glancing up at the doorway.

“Hey, don’t worry about that. There’s plenty of time.”

“Hmm.”

She could feel that something was wrong, beyond the fact that she guessed the woman was still feeling sick. “You’re going to be fine, you know that don’t you?”

“I know.”

“Then what’s really wrong? I can’t hear thoughts like you.” 

“Nothing. It’s fine.” 

She looked over at Owen who was too engrossed in whatever he was looking at to even notice. “If there’s something you want to talk about in private-”

“Gwen, I’m fine. Really. Nothing… Nothing happened.”

“No one’s saying nothing happened, just that it probably messed with your head.” He said plainly. “It’s not personal. It’s just what you said is impossible.”

“Like time travel and life on other planets.” 

He stood back, letting the fast that  **she** was giving him sass sink in. “That’s different.”

“You sound like my childhood therapist.” She mumbled. “Sorry. It doesn’t matter. It’s fine. I just want to know if I’ve got some alien infection, or god knows what, and then I can get back to normal.”

“I believe you.” Tosh said from the archway. “During the attack my sensors registered multiple small disruptions in the fabric of reality. There are very few things that can do that. Not only that but there are minute traces of artron energy left on you, specifically around the collar of your coat.”

He didn’t want to think about what that could mean and decided to put his mind back in his work, whereas Gwen was suddenly full of questions.

“Artron energy?” Gwen asked.

Tosh nodded. “It’s used as a power source, specifically we have records from our run ins with the TARDIS and the Doctor herself.”

“So … It was the Doctor?”

“No. I would have picked up the arrival of that specific TARDIS. No time machine arrived or left but someone who has close contact with one was who saved you.”

“Well, whoever they were-” Owen said, turning on his chair, “what they gave you quickly re-oxygenated your cells and caused your diaphragm to contract. It’s nothing I’ve seen before but I’m going to try and synthesize it. It was a clean injection and possibly saved you from dying before Ianto could even get you back to the park, let alone here.” 

“It sounds like something NASA’s been experimenting with for recovery after exposure to low oxygen environments, but it’s only in the very early planning stages.”

“Maybe we should tell them to up their security if their prototypes are getting nicked… After you grab me one that is… Mel, the blood came from both the damaged lining of your left lung, something I really need to look into by the way, but also damaged vessels in your nose and throat. It’s why you feel like you’ve been gargling glass. You should heal just fine, but if you start coughing up what looks like instant coffee then you need to call me immediately. And for christs sake, don’t barter with years of your own life.”

Melody kept her eyes hidden under her fringe. “So you believe me now?”

“I do, and I really wish I didn’t have to.” 


	3. forged

Jack needed to clear his head and there was one way that had worked for years. The cold wind bit at his skin as he surveyed the city from above, watching people live their lives with no idea what was going on below them. It pulled everything back into perspective.

“There you are. It’s one of those days then.” Ianto said, pulling his coat tightly around himself to block out the cold. 

He sighed and turned back. “It’s been a while since I’ve been up here. The view hasn’t changed much.”

“It’s Cardiff, of course it hasn’t.”

“Everything ok down there?”

“Yes and no. Melody’s ok, if sore, but from what Tosh has found she was likely telling the truth… Jack, other than the Doctor, are there any other time Lords?”

“There was one, but he’s dead.” Jack got that far away look in his eyes. The one he got if he ever spoke about tough battles he’d been part of, or some of his more traumatic deaths. Not that any of them were particularly easy to begin with. “Gallifrey’s supposed to be gone but who knows. When you mess with time nothing is ever really gone permanently. There could be others out there who just haven’t shown themselves, so the Doctor doesn’t know about them. Why?”

“Tosh found traces of archon energy on Melodys coat near the injection site.”

“We’d notice if a TARDIS turned up.”

“I know but it just takes long enough contact. Maybe someone else has gotten hold of something that’s strong enough to leave traces behind.” 

“If they have then we could have a huge problem on our hands. Then again it would have to be contained, otherwise it’d be like a beacon. Whoever it is knows what they’re doing… I think they want us to try and find them.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t worked that out yet. Do me a favour.”

“Of course.”

“I need you to find any old paper copies of Melodys medical records. Anything between the day she was born and the day I met her.”

“Only four years. Shouldn’t be too hard. Why?”

“I need to know when she was given the telepathic modification. Maybe then we can try and find out who did it. It’s a long shot…”

“But I specialise in long shots. You don’t think that whoever saved her was the same person who gave her the telepathic boost do you?”

“I don’t know, but why would someone put themselves up against fairies unless they had a hell of a lot to lose.”

“Sorry for snapping at you.” Melody said as Owen ran the bekaran scanner over her back.

He smirked. “That was you snapping? I thought it was just you being mildly annoyed. It’s fine, forget it.”

“Still.”

“Breathe in as much as you can.”

She took a long, slow, breath in, ignoring the slight pain in her throat. 

“Ok, you can relax now.”

“How bad is it?”

“Worse than I thought. Because the scar tissue isn’t stretching as much as the rest it’s put under more pressure. That sudden intake of breath you had earlier has pulled it to its limit and it’s partially torn. Any further and it would have torn open but you were lucky. You need to rest. Let it knit back together.”

“Is this going to keep happening?”

“It’s possible but your body shouldn’t regularly be forcing you to gasp like that. Then again, in our line of work, with your luck, I can’t rule it out.” 

“Is there anything you can do?” She looked over to him as she tangled her fingers in her necklace chain.

He sat down next to her, placing the scanner aside. “I could remove the scar tissue and knit the undamaged tissue together, but you’d be losing a decent chunk of what’s left of that lung. Honestly, if I was working in a hospital I’d suggest a transplant. Hell, if we get someone in who’s compatible I could see about calling Martha and trying to get it replaced here. The biggest risk with that is rejection.”

“I… I don’t know. At this point, the idea of a transplant is scary as hell. I’d written it off years ago.”

“We could start by removing the scar tissue if you want and move from there. It’s up to you.”

“That sounds better yea.”

“If nothing else it might make you more comfortable. The original procedure looks like it was done by a butcher.”

“You wouldn’t be too far off.” She unconsciously gripped her shirt over her ribs.

He rested a hand on her shoulder. “It’s ok to be scared.”

“I’m being stupid.”

“No you’re not.”

She sniffled slightly. “Even when I was younger, when I was still on the list, all I could think when it was mentioned is being on that table and feeling the knife go in and-” Her hand moved from her ribs to her mouth, tears starting to drip down her face. 

“Hey, hey.” He wrapped an arm around her. “If you choose to have anything done I promise you won’t feel a thing. It’s common to fear waking up during surgery but it’s extremely rare and it’s sure as shit not happening here.”

“That’s not it… It’s just… Sorry, I can’t…” She tried to stop herself sobbing but only succeeded in making her throat hurt even more. 

He didn’t know what nerve he’d accidentally poked but he knew whatever it was it was traumatic. He held her and let her cry it out into his shoulder. As much as this was usually Gwens thing he wasn’t completely useless. Right now Melody was his patient and it was his job to support her. The events of earlier that day probably hadn’t helped. Sometimes they forgot how much a brush with death could affect you because it happened so often. He’d been working on the assumption that she’d hallucinating the events before but as she hadn’t been, that meant that she’d not only faced down a fairy but also willingly handed over a decade of her life to it. She’d tried to downplay it but that was a heavy concept. He wondered if the damage had actually been done by that deal, causing a weakness that would eventually end her life ten years before she should have. They did work with the forces of nature. And Ianto had mentioned that she’d thrown up a lot of blood. Had this fairy tried to drown her in her own blood? He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn’t even noticed that she’d calmed down.

“Sorry.” She snuffled again.

He shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. Listen, whatever you decide to do, I’m on your side, yea?”

“Thanks.”

“Good… Right then.” He hopped off the table and walked up to the archway. “Gwen, can you deal with this short ball of emotions here? She needs to rest so no marathons.”

Tosh handed Ianto her research on Melodys medical history.

“I thought this might help. Give you a few leads.”

“Thanks Tosh… I know Jack said this was a long shot but this feels like someone tried to wipe her early years from existence and not in any way I recognise.”

“Oh? How do you mean?”

“If it was just Torchwood covering up her past they would have left behind a very normal looking history. Nothing that would arouse suspicion. Her records on the other hand have been wiped, as if she never existed, bar one birth certificate and the few entries you’ve uncovered.”

“Aren’t there any archived hospital or GPs records?”

“No. Here-” he pushed out a chair for her to sit and turned his screen slightly so it was easier to read, “-I resorted to looking up her parents records. Here’s all the records of pre natal scans and tests up until the six month mark where she changed doctors. That’s when everything stops for three years until she reregisters with her previous GP.”

“So all the records between those points have been lost.”

“Not lost exactly.” He flicked through the pages that she’d brought and pulled a scanned copy of Melodys birth certificate. “I thought so.”

“What?”

“This has been modified.”

“It has? How can you tell?”

“Here, where it says where she was born. The writing’s slightly different. Compare the way the I’s are dotted.”

“That wouldn’t be easy to do. If you were going to modify it why not just redo the whole thing?”

“Maybe they wanted to keep the original registrar's signature. If I can get Melody to bring in the original do you think you could recover the original ink?”

“It depends on how it was removed or covered, but I’m happy to try. I wonder what could have been so awful that someone tried this hard to hide where she was born.”

“I’m not sure exactly but I did find something else interesting.” He pointed back to the screen. “The last few tests before the gap in the records mention twins.”

“Are you sure that’s not her sisters?”

“I’m certain. I went back further just to double check. Part of me really hopes it was just a mistake.”

“Should we speak to her about this? She’s been through a lot today and she’s meant to be resting but she deserves to know.”

“Just for now I’ll tell her that I need the certificate because I lost the official copy.”

“You? Lose something?”

“It happens… Rarely.”

“Ok, as long as it’s only temporary… It feels like we’re about to fall down a very long rabbit hole.” 

That night Tosh found herself unable to let go of the day. It happened once in a blue moon. She’d usually just log on and do a little more remotely, but she couldn’t with this one. Owen couldn’t even distract her as he’d spent the last three hours sitting on the living room floor surrounded by medical journals, textbooks and his own laptop. He was even wearing his glasses, which was very entertaining when he’d picked up his cup of coffee and went temporarily blind as they steamed over. 

“Aren’t you working with techniques that far surpass everything you’re reading?” She asked, placing down the book she found herself unable to concentrate on. 

He took the pen he’d been chewing the end of out of his mouth. “Yea, but I want to make sure I’m not rusty, just in case. I did the same when she first joined, remember?”

“You didn’t tell me exactly what you were doing then. I just found you surrounded by books.”

“Well I was.” He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “What were you and Ianto plotting earlier?”

“We think someone changed the registered place of birth on Melodys birth certificate. In fact any records about her birth.”

“Sounds about right for her.”

“Records show her mother was supposed to have twins so she might have another sibling out there somewhere.”

He leaned his head back on the sofa, looking up at her. “You might want to tread carefully. There is probably a reason she’s never mentioned another sibling.”

“What if she just doesn’t know. She could have a sister who was kidnapped as a baby.”

“Best case scenario, yea.”

“Well, we should know a bit more by tomorrow. I’m going to find out what was originally written there and we’re going to do some digging.”

“You think she won’t notice?”

“She won’t because she’s going with Gwen to test cake flavours tomorrow. Rhys has to work and he’s happy to try the samples when he gets home so we have the hub free to use-”

“For all your digging needs.”

“Exactly.”

“And none of this is because Ianto doesn’t want to think about fairies going after his niece.”

“No… Maybe a little, but it was Jack who asked him to look into it in the first place. If those things wanted to take Mica they would have, but they didn’t and this might lead us to what chased them off.”

“Do we even want to know?”

She leaned down on her elbow, resting her head on her hand. “Why wouldn’t we?”

“Sounds like something we don’t want to attract the attention of.”

“We already have its attention. And who knows, it could be another time lord.”

“If they are then they sound like a bit of an arsehole, and that’s coming from me. You just want your own TARDIS.”

“I wouldn’t say no to studying that level of technology. No more long drives. We could be where we’re needed instantly. We could have almost infinite storage space and a truly safe place to archive what we find. And we could actually travel to other planets. Isn’t that exciting?”

“You’re beautiful when you’re excited.”

She blushed and giggled. “Owen, I’m serious.”

“So am I. I need a break from books sooo-” he sat forward and started piling everything up, “-let’s go out for dinner. My treat.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know. I want to.”


	4. Silver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a trigger warning for infant mortality.

“This is the first real rift dip you’ve seen, isn’t it.” Gwen smiled as she navigated midmorning traffic. 

Melody nodded. “It’s odd. I’ve run out of paperwork to do. What do you do during these little breaks?”

“Ianto usually concentrates on reorganising the archive or disappears off with Jack. Otherwise we just relax a bit, look into a cold case or two, just have some fun. You can ref our next basketball tournament if you want.” 

“Why not. I’ll need to learn the rules first though.”

“How are you feeling today then?”

She shrugged. “Sore. I’m actually glad I was wearing a corsetted shirt yesterday. I think it stopped me pulling every muscle in my chest. Other than that it’s just a sore throat and everything smells a bit like pennies.” 

“Could be a lot worse. If you need anything, just ask.”

“I’m fine. I don’t think cake is going to do any harm to me. How’s wedding planning going anyway?”

“I caved and hired a wedding planner. Her name’s Tracy and she’s helped so much. We’ve got the church booked for July the fourteenth. My dress has been ordered so it’ll just need a little bit of adjustment when it arrives. We’ve got the decor planned out and finally we have the guest list sorted. So now we get to relax a bit.”

“And eat cake.”

“And eat cake.” She grinned, parking up near the small bakery. 

Tosh held the weathered birth certificate under the scanner, the extremely bright light making copies of not only the ink on the surface but also the layers of paper below. She hoped there would be traces of chemical discolouration or denser patches of fibers in the paper itself that would show a ghost of the original address. As the layers appeared on the screen she could see a faint yellow hue from the chemically removed ink. 

“Ianto, I have an address for you.” She smiled, the twinkle in her eye she always got when she’d worked around someones efforts to hide anything from her. 

He walked over, a stack of old UK road maps under his arm. “I knew it.”

“Lets see what we can find about this place.” She typed  _ the St Margaret of Cortona mother and childrens hospital _ into the search bar but wasn’t given much in return. There was plenty on saint Margaret and had a huge list of childrens hospitals but nothing that pertained to the place they were looking for. “That’s odd.”

He placed the road maps onto the desk. “That’s why I found these. If you’re trying to cover something up you can pay people off to destroy evidence of somewheres existence, but you can’t recall every road map that was printed before the cover up began.”

“Do you have a collection of these?”

“All sorted by date, yes.” He opened the oldest one he’d brought to the district the certificate was registered in and began the slow search for the building he was sure would be printed at a landmark. It took twenty minutes before he looked up. “Found it. Along the B four three eight eight towards Hope.”

She brought the area up on google maps. “That area’s mostly fields now.”

“It was off the beaten track before but it should have been here.” He pointed to an area on the screen that seemed to be trying to load, staying in a completely blurred state. “Why isn’t it loading?”

“I don’t know. It should have by now… One sec.” 

He watched as she brought up the source code for the site.

“It is loaded. It’s just been made to look that way. Maybe the building’s still there. If it was privately run then they might not have been so diligent when they moved out.”

“Getting ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” Asked Owen who’d only half been listening in. “Even if everything was left it’s either guarded or anything inside’ll be water damaged beyond recovery.”

She paused for a second and looked back at her screen, fingers dancing across her keyboard. “There are no security companies currently working in that area, but there are some archived new articles. They don’t name the hospital itself but as there isn’t anything else it could be talking about-” She opened three new windows with the articles, “-oh.”

“What?” He walked over to see what his two workmates were looking at.

_ Twelve dead in neonatal unit tragedy _ .

“Shit. Is there any more information on it?”

Tosh shook her head. “These articles are from very small news outlets. We’d need to contact someone who was there at the time if we want more.”

“I might know of a couple of people who could help us. Leave it with me.”

“It’s a small world, isn’t it Dr Harper.” An older lady with grey hair and kind eyes smiled as she sat in the maternity ward break room.

He remembered matron Annalise Kendrick from when he’d still been training. She was known to be an absolute battleaxe to the staff, but she was the woman you wanted around during a difficult delivery. She’d been working with new mothers for over thirty years and showed no signs that she wanted to retire. 

“It is.” He nodded. “Why Wales?”

“I started my career here, why not come back? I heard you’d disappeared off the face of the Earth.”

“After everything… I needed a fresh start.”

“I’m glad you didn’t quit. No need to let such a great mind go to waste. Anyway, you sounded grim over the phone.”

“Yea. I’m looking into something for a friend… Do you remember St Margaret of Cortona Mother and childrens hospital?”

Her smile faded. “Now where did you hear about that?”

“My friend… She had that on her birth certificate.”

“Bloody hell.”

He raised an eyebrow, having never heard her swear before.

“Listen, that place… We all wanted to forget it and put it behind us.”

“Wait, you were there?”

“I was. The worst night of my life it was.”

“What exactly happened?”

She sighed deeply. “I should start at the beginning. St Margarets was opened as a private hospital where people with too much money sent their daughters when they got in trouble. It was state of the art for the time and for a long time you couldn’t wish for a better place to have a baby. The owner would set aside a certain budget each year to take on NHS patients. Always unwed mothers. Not to say they were all alone. Many had partners and had just decided to not marry. We didn’t judge. We just wanted mum and baby to be healthy… The night it happened… We were busy. It was just one of those nights where once one arrived we were called to another. Nothing we couldn’t cope with of course but enough that something got missed. The papers said it must have been a gas leak. Something silent that just…” She took a hanky from her pocket and tried to hide just how much recalling it was affecting her. 

He fetched her a paper cup of water from the cooler which she took with a shaking hand. He’d never seen this woman anything but stoic before, but at this moment she looked like a slight breeze would shatter her to pieces.

“Thank you…” She took a moment and sipped at her water. “For a few nights before we’d all heard footsteps late at night. Some of the girls said the place was haunted but of course that was nonsense. That night we had extra security about, so we thought we were safe… Around three in the morning I went to check on the nursery and I swear I saw a man walking down the hall. He was dressed like he was one of the fancy types but I counted the little ones just in case anyway. All there, safe and sound. One of the midwives was already there and I remember she looked so tired. Not quite there. I told her to go and get some rest in the on call room. Everything seemed fine. I checked on them all, I really did.” She wiped her eyes carefully, her lip quivering.

“I’m sure you did everything you could.”

“Two hours later I went past and it was so quiet. Too quiet. When I walked in Helen and Farah were on the floor… Their eyes… God you’re going to think I’ve gone mad.”

“I won’t. Please, what did you see?”

“Their eyes were open wide and silver. There were red marks just under their eyelids that looked like they’d been injected with something… I called an emergency and the rest of the staff arrived… Only three of the little ones survived that night. Two little boys and one girl. The place was swarming with police by morning. I remember… I had to tell one mother that only one of her twins had survived. She broke down and held onto her surviving child like the world would try and steal her away… Owen, each of those children had the same marks on their eyelids… I’m sure it was that man but no one believed me. They said it was the trauma. That I’d suffered from the effects of the gas leak too, but I know what I saw. The place was closed down the next day. Even though no one was found at fault the owner couldn’t take it. He paid for the whole thing to be covered up, as if it never happened. That’s when I moved… Your friend, are they alright? If you’re looking into it then she can’t have just been one of the little ones that just went home.”

“She’s ok. She just needed the truth.”

“Tell her I’m sorry… Her name, it was… Oh god I remember them both. One was Melody and the other was Aria.”

“Melody. She’s grown up, works in admin, has a girlfriend now.”

A soft smile returned to the senior matrons face, past her tears. “Oh I’m so glad. I hope knowing the truth can give her some closure.”

“Me too… Do you know what happened to the place?”

“The doors were just locked, metal plates put over the windows, and it was left. Just like the day it happened. They should have burned the place to ashes if you ask me. Nothing short of the devil himself was there that night.”

Gwen placed one box of samples and one box that she’d got to share with the rest of the team in the boot. She knew what she liked best but she wanted Rhys to have some say in it too. It had been nice to just relax and have a little fun. Melody looked like she’d enjoyed it too. She’d talked enthusiastically about the cake designs, wedding dresses and celebrations. It was nice to see her outside of work or some disaster. And even though she’d almost died the night before she’d been nothing but smiles and sunshine. 

Gwen walked round and slid into the drivers seat. “I suppose we should get back to the hub.”

“If you want to take a little diversion we can go and pick up my new guitar. I was supposed to pick it up yesterday but I didn’t get chance.”

“Why not. We don’t need to be back for a couple more hours. I don’t think I’ve ever heard you play.”

“Well, we kind of met when I couldn’t.” She chuckled softly.

“True.”

“I’ve been practicing so much to try and get my hand to work fully again. I think I’ve got it too. The first time I played through a whole song without it missing a note I nearly cried.”

“Oh sweetheart.” She smiled, a mix of warmth and sympathy on her face. “But you did it. That’s brilliant.”

“Definitely. I’m working on learning through the fire and the flames to really push myself.”

“I don’t think I know that one.”

“Really?” She took out her phone and plugged in the aux cable. “It’s a great song and extremely complex.”

It had been a while since Gwen had listened to anything heavier than what was generally played on the radio. The last time she’d thrown on some AC/DC she was in her late teens and hearing the guitar made her feel young again. Not that she was old, of course, but sometimes work and relationships made you feel like your childhood was a million years ago. The guitar work of the song sounded complex enough before the solo but afterwards she wondered if it was possible for a human to play that quickly. 

“What do you think?” Mel asked softly.

“You’re learning that? How?”

“With a lot of work. It’s fun though, you know? Spending so much time inside and mostly alone you’ve got to find things that make you happy. That’s why I decorate and dress how I want no matter what other people think. People think so many negative things but in the grand scheme of things they don’t matter.”

“What about your own negative thoughts?”

“Those I’m still working on.” She smiled. “But, life’s too short to let feeling a bit off get you down.”

“Remind me of that when I’m pulling my hair out just before the wedding.”

“I will. Want me to hang out outside the church and turn away any alien threats?”

She snorted with laughter. “Oh god don’t. I don’t want to have to fight off an invasion with a bouquet in one hand and a high heel in the other.”

“That’s one way to scare them off. You could hide a gun in the bouquet just in case.”

“That’d be a disaster when I threw it.”


	5. Abandoned

Tosh sighed. Her mood had dropped significantly after hearing what Owen had found out and it went even further after she discovered the fate of the other two surviving children. One had been clinically blind for his short five years of life before he had an aneurysm and passed in the night. The other had made it to the age of thirteen though he never spoke a word and spent ninety per cent of his life staring into space. He sadly passed in a house fire he had no way of escaping from. It was a disaster. It also had all the markers of something Torchwood should have noticed, they should have stepped in. Someone should have stepped in. Jack and Ianto had gone to see if there was any evidence left in the sealed off building and Gwen and Melody still weren’t back so the hub was rather quiet. Too quiet. 

“Owen?” She called, wondering where her boyfriend had disappeared off to.

He was sitting on the table in the medical bay. “Yea?”

She walked down and perched next to him. “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine.” He shrugged unconvincingly. “Seeing Matron Kendrick again brought up… Memories.”

She placed her hand on his. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“You don’t need to listen to my bullshit today.”

“Please talk to me.”

“The last time I saw her… It was a Katies funeral... Even then she didn’t cry. She always had a reputation for being as tough as nails. If you had an abusive patient she was the one you called. Sod calling security. Everyone knew that. She was soft with her patients when they needed it but otherwise she was untouchable… She looked completely different when she told me about that place.”

“That’s understandable. It must have been the worst night of her life.”

He nodded and squeezed her hand softly. “We’re going to have to tell Melody about her sister.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t.”

“Eh?”

“Well, if she didn’t know about it before, maybe it’s best to let it go. Or suggest she ask her mum about it.”

“I thought you’d be the one telling me she deserves the truth.”

“She does, but it might not be our place to tell it. It might be something she can brush off. She didn’t know her sister, never felt that loss, but I think it’s best to let her family talk it over with her.”

“You’re right… If whoever saved her yesterday is the same person who murdered all those kids the sooner we can give them a bullet between the eyes the better. Nothing he’s planning could be worth that.”

“We’ll stop him.”

Even the SUV had trouble with the rocky remnants of the road that once led to St Margarets. Tree roots had torn up the old tarmac and over twenty years of rain and mud had washed away or buried the remnants. The fence had rusted and been claimed by the foliage, the gates having fallen off their hinges. The building was a lot larger than it seemed from what little google had shown. The metal plates that sealed the windows all looked intact, though many were covered in weathered graffiti, similar to the doors. Jack pulled away part of the thick layer of ivy that had swallowed up one wall to reveal the door. Ianto pulled down a mask and started up the cutting torch, breaking through the old, and most likely seized, lock. The hinges were also oxidised solid so they were next to go before the door itself fell, hitting the floor and sending a cloud of dust up into the air. 

“One way to make an entrance.” Jack smiled, waving away the dust that was drifting out into the open air. 

He pushed up the mask and looked into the pitch black building. “I can’t let you have that honour all the time… Though I expected someone to have made it inside after two decades.” 

“They did a damn good job at erasing this places existence.” He switched on his torch and stepped into the large reception area, plastic chairs sitting in neat rows in front of a desk that still had a huge sign in book on top. If it weren’t for the dust you could easily mistake the place for having just closed.

“It’s certainly creepy in here.”

“Anywhere that’s meant to be full of life is unnerving once it’s empty. Hospitals, schools, playgrounds, all feel the same when noone’s there.” He looked over a couple of folders that had been left on the desk but they were nothing of interest. Ianto seemed to have an idea of where he was going as he pushed the door behind the reception desk open and was met with a wall filled with small folders, each named. He searched through, reading each line of faded ink, until he found what he was looking for. A folder marked  _ Archer.J _ was the first, and paperclipped to it were two empty paper files, one marked  _ Archer.A.D  _ and another marked  _ Archer.M.K _ .

He looked out of the door to see if Jack had wandered off as he was so fond of doing but no, he was still looking through the sign in book. “I found the start of Melodys medical records but it’s empty as I expected. There might be something in her mothers room.”

“Looks like she was on the second floor, room three B, going on the staff rota. I think the police left it with the sign in book.”

“Anything suspicious?”

“I’m not sure. A man named Oliver Price signed in a week before the disaster to meet with the owner. A note dated the day after says to call security if he stepped foot in the place again. Might be something to look into.”

“We still don’t know the owners name.”

“The office was owned by a Dr.L.W.Plumber so we have something.”

“He should have more in his office. Let’s hope the stairs are in good condition.” 

“The air’s dry so it should be fine. We have to find the staircase before we worry about it collapsing on us.” 

“I think I saw a map on the wall next to the desk.” He said as he carefully put the small folders in his bag.

Jack stepped back and shone his torch on the noticeboard sized map of the building. Though the lift would be unusable the stairs weren’t far away. Their footsteps echoed up the stairwell as they ascended hearing no sign of rats or pigeons taking shelter in the building. Like the first floor, the second floor was untouched. Frozen in time. Three B was the third patient room on the left and still had a chart sitting neatly in its holder just outside the door. Ianto double checked it and it was what he’d been looking for. He placed it in the bag with the folders before looking to where Jack had walked. The captain was staring into a room with a pile of old police tape sitting around its door. He was looking through the large window that led into a sizable nursery, brightly coloured cartoon animals painted on each wall and bright floral curtains still hanging over the blocked up windows. Each of the plastic cots having a label with the name of the child and their room number on. 

“Should we go in?” Ianto asked, feeling a little uneasy about disturbing the room, even after so many years. 

Jack nodded and stepped into the nursery, shining his torch around to scan every inch of the room. He needed to know if there was anything the police had missed. Nothing caught his eye. If he was honest it looked as if the place had been deep cleaned before it was abandoned. 

“If those nurses had silver coated eyes, why don’t we have a file on them?” He said to himself.

Ianto carefully stepped into the room. “We were thinking the same thing earlier. Don’t you remember anything from back then?”

“No, but that’s because I was on a job in Berlin at the time.” He moved one of the small blankets and found a little pink teddy bear with a musical note embroidered on its tummy. He frowned as he read the note on the plastic cot it had been hidden inside and passed it to Ianto. “Her mum might want this.” Something on the blanket itself shimmered in the torchlight, drawing his eye. He took the soft fabric and held it up. It looked like it had been liquid when it originally spilled onto the blanket but had dried over time. He folded it and placed it into a plastic evidence bag. 

“You found something?”

“We can take a look at it when we get back. Let’s go look around this Dr Plumbers office.”

Gwen placed the cake box on Toshikos desk, wondering where everyone was. “Hello?” She called out. “I think they’ve left us.”

“They’re downstairs. Well, Tosh and Owen are.” Melody giggled, her cheeks turning a warm pink. 

“Cheeky buggers.”

“Well it is very quiet.”

She plopped down onto the sofa. “Well, when Jack and Ianto get back we could always see if they want to go for a drink. Make the most of the quiet time.”

“Sounds fun… Thank you, for today I mean. I think I needed some normality after yesterday.”

“Of course. It was nice to have the extra company. Though we really should grab some real food before we go anywhere. I’m all sugar right now.”

Tosh trotted up the steps, stopping as she heard voices so she could make sure she was put together. “How did the bakery trip go?”

“Great. We brought some back for everyone. Where are Jack and Ianto?”

She knew lying would be pointless but she didn’t want to say too much just yet. “Looking at a cold case. Hopefully they’ll be back soon.”

“Ahh, ok. We were thinking of going out for a drink later if it stays quiet.” 

“Sounds good. I’ll send Ianto a message.”

“So what have you been up to this morning?”

“Not much. Oh, Melody, I scanned your birth certificate so you can have it back.”

Mel smiled and took the paper, slipping it into a pocket of her bag. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Looking for?” 

“Tosh… Really?” She looked back with a slight pitying expression. “You’re all getting a lot better at quieting your minds but when you lie it’s still like a loudspeaker. Though I don’t know what could be that interesting about my birth certificate. It’s one of the few legitimate original documents I have.” 

She sighed and was about to say something when Owen arrived, a towel still sitting over his shoulders. “Owen.” She smiled, waving him over. “Gwen and Mel brought cake.”

“Thanks. What did I walk in on?” He asked, reading the room.

Gwen shrugged, honestly having no idea what was going on. 

Melody looked very uncomfortable. “What god awful thing have you found out about me now? Did I make someones head explode that I can’t remember?” She was only half joking. 

“Well that secret lasted what, two hours? Three?” He grumbled, tossing the towel over the back of his chair. “No, you didn’t. It’s just the hospital you were born in was changed. We think it’s because of the owner trying to cover up its existence after some kind of disaster that left a lot of people dead.” 

“Is that all?”

“All?”

“I expected more with how nervous you got.” She said to Tosh, who had sunk down in her chair. “I’m not that fragile.”

He shared a glance with Tosh that said there was more. “Mel, sit down.”

She sat on the sofa next to Gwen. 

“The people who died were mostly babies, including your sister.”

“What? My sisters-”

“No, sweetheart, from what we’ve found you were a twin. You parents probably didn’t talk to you about it so they could move on.”

She tangled her fingers in her necklace chain. “So, what happened to them?”

“We’re not sure exactly yet. I got in touch with one of the nurses that was there that night and she mentioned marks around the babies eyes. The two nurses that died that night had the same, and completely silver eyes.”

“So, whatever happened to them modified my eyes?”

“We can’t be sure but it’s likely. Jack and Ianto have gone to check the place out. I doubt anything’s left but there’s a slim chance.”

She let what she’d just been told sink in. “And you think who did that could have been the person that scared off the fairy yesterday.” Gwen rested a comforting hand on her back. 

“I can’t be sure of anything right now… You going to be ok?”

“Yea… Yea, I mean it was so long ago and there was nothing I could have done. I was a baby… They all were. It was just by chance that I lived… Did anyone else? Were there others?”

He hated to crush the hopeful look she had but they’d gotten this far. ”Sorry princess. It’s just you.”

“Oh,” she sighed, “I guess that was a bit much to hope for.” 


	6. A break

Dr Plumbers office had been ransacked, or that was how it looked at least. The man must have had either a fight or a breakdown in there just before the building was closed. The desk was tipped over and papers were scattered across the floor. A large crack ran up from the bottom left corner of the window and the shards of a broken picture frame sat just below. Ianto crouched down to examine the papers. They looked like old invoices and bank statements. It had been a private hospital after all, so it wasn’t too odd to find financial documents of many kinds. What did stand out was a bundle of papers that looked like someone had tried to burn them. The edges were blackened and one of the corners had burned away. 

“Take a look at this.” He said as he stood, holding out the bundle. 

Jack took it and perched on the edge of the tipped over desk. “Huh. And I was convinced the doctor was innocent.” He didn’t recognise the names of the drugs on the sheet but Owen might. Why burn it if there was nothing going on though? He handed the papers back. “We can check them out properly in daylight. For now,” he stood, “help me lift this up.”

They heaved the old wooden desk onto its legs and one of the draws, that had been held closed underneath, fell open and a tape recorder clattered to the floor. Ianto grabbed it and rewound the tape as it was at the end. He pressed the play button and a crackly recording began to play from the tinny little speaker. 

“Doctor, I trust you understand why I’m here.” Said one voice. It was male, deep and held an old fashioned upper class English accent. 

Another voice, presumably Dr Plumber, replied. “No, I do not.”

“Come now. I already know about your government contract.”

“W-what?... How?”

“Don’t worry. I don’t intend to tell anyone about your little arrangement. I want to offer you an opportunity.”

“Mr Price, I don’t know what you’ve heard but-”

“Sit down Dr Plumber!” There was a thump. “At least listen to my offer. I possess technology that could improve these childrens futures exponentially. All I need is access to them.”

“I’m not going to allow you to experiment on them!”

“Experiment? No, this has already been tested by minds far greater than those found here.”

“Then why?”

“Why? I want to give them a chance to be something more. Something exceptional. Isn’t that what all parents want?”

“I… I can’t.”

“How is my offer any different to your government contracts?”

“They just want information.”

“Now now, there’s no point in lying to me, Dr Plumber. I know exactly what they’ve been supplying you.”

“Nonsense!”

“It would be very unfortunate if one of your modified vitamin K injections found itself at a private lab, now wouldn’t it?”

There was a long silence before the doctor spoke. “It is just for their benefit. It’s meant to make their immune systems develop to be much stronger. It’s-”

“How is that any different from what I’m offering?”

“They’ve tested it. It’s been proven safe.”

“In adults, yes.”

“It’s safe. I’d never allow its use if it wasn’t. I’ve had it myself.”

“Of course, and I wouldn’t offer something without proof.” The sound of a chair scraping across the floor rang out, followed by steps. 

“What… What is that? What are you doing?... Get away from me!”

“Keep still Dr Plumber, I wouldn’t want to miss.” 

There was a scuffle and a loud thump as something hit the desk.

“There, was that so difficult?”

“What the hell did you do?! My eye! God I can’t see!”

“Give it a moment to settle.”

“What’s that sound?”

“That would be the thoughts of those all around us. Once you get used to it you’ll be able to control what you hear.”

“What are you talking about?!”

“Telepathy.”

“No!... Get out!... Get out and never come back!” He roared, the sound of his chair clattering to the floor seeming even louder due to its proximity to the recorder. 

Oliver Price chuckled. “Well, I tried to give you a choice. Never mind. I’ll take my leave.”

The door opened and heavy footsteps could be heard. “Get him out of here.”

“Do you want us to call the police sir?” A new voice, presumably a security guard asked.

“No, just get him out of here.”

The tape recorded background noise for a few minutes more before the recording ended.

Both Jack and Ianto looked tired and a little dusty when they made it back to the hub.

“How did it go?” Asked Gwen with a soft smile. 

Jack felt the teams eyes on him and knew that their secret expedition had stopped being a secret. “We got more information but I don’t know if that adds up to answers. Ianto, have you got that tape?”

“Yes.” Ianto replied, digging the old player out of his bag. 

Jack took it and walked over to Melody who was still sat on the sofa. “The man yesterday. Did he sound anything like this?” He pressed the play button.

_ No, this has already been tested by minds far greater than those found here. _ The crackling recording replayed. 

She looked at the recorder and back at Jack. “That’s him. That’s who I heard. Who is it?”

“A man who called himself Oliver Price. We found out that Dr Plumber, the owner of the hospital, was working with some kind of government lab.”

Tosh nodded. “That’s why information is so hard to find.”

“Tosh, look up Dr Leonard Willson Plumber. If he’s still around then I need to talk to him. You can look for Oliver Price but I doubt that’s his real name. Owen, we found some documentation on what this government lab was giving these kids. I want to know what it was and why it was being used. I’ve got some calls to make.”

After a flurry of activity the investigation had no choice but to stall due to the time of day. Melody jumped as the hidden door popped open. 

“Are you still interested in going out with us?” Ianto asked.

She nodded and smiled. “Definitely. You’re looking a lot less like a dust bunny now.”

“Thankfully. Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. Owen and Tosh explained everything.”

“Good…” He took the small pink bear he’d recovered from the hospital and offered it to her. “Um… We found this in your sisters cot… I thought you or your parents might want it.”

She took the toy carefully, examining it and running her fingers over the embroidery. “I had one of these too. I’ve still got it actually but mine’s faded and scruffy. Thank you so much. You didn’t have to.” She gave him a grateful smile. 

“It was the right thing to do.”

“Still.” She placed the toy in her bag that she’d kept by the desk. “Oh, do you know if Mica’s ok?”

“I got a message this morning. No sign of anything coming back.”

“Good.”

“And Johnny says that he thinks you did some secret jujitsu moves on the bastard, his words not mine.”

She chuckled. “At least he’s having fun theorising.”

“He’s good at that.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Are you sure you’re ok? I know you’re often the one who’s all smiles but after yesterday and everything today-”

“Ianto. I’m fine. I’m alive and if I had to repeat yesterday a million times I’d do the same thing, though I might choose my words better. I know I let my emotions get the better of me a lot but this… This is just kind of par for the course. Maybe I’ve just become numb to things threatening my life.”

“That’s not a good thing.”

“No, but it’s how I feel. I was terrified in the moment but now?... It’s just so absurd. Giving time to fairies in exchange for someones life. Finding out I had a twin I never knew about. It’s all just… Stuff I can’t process right now. I’m still trying to get my head around weighing up my lung completely tearing open if it’s put under too much strain versus having an operation to stop that happening but having to fight my own useless brain that thinks I’m going to be conscious the whole time.” She stopped herself and acted as if she was just looking for something in her bag. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok. If you need someone to just listen then I’m here.”

She took a long, shuddering, breath. Calming herself. “Thanks, but I’m fine. I just don’t want to think about it for a bit.” 

“When you’re ready…”

“Thanks. I’ll be with you guys in a sec. Let me just log out.”

Gwen was two drinks down and was finally relaxed. Even on quiet days she had trouble switching off. 

Tosh nudged her arm softly. “So, after the wedding are you thinking of starting a family?”

“What?” She spluttered, breaking into a laugh. “You’re joking. In this job?”

“Why not? I’m sure we technically have rules about maternity leave and things.”

“It’s not that. I just wouldn’t want to leave a baby all alone if the worst happened.”

Jack shook his head. “Two things. One, they’d never be alone and, two, what makes you think any of us would let you die.”

“Some of us don’t have a choice.”

“Gwen Cooper, you do not get to give up on something you want to do just because your job is risky.” Melody said bluntly, looking as if she was taking it personally. “Otherwise, what’s the point of doing what we do? The world’s only worth saving if there’s a reason to live in it. If you want to have kids then you have kids. The rest of the universe can bugger off for a bit.”

“You’re drunk.”

“I’m a little bit tiddly, don’t change the subject. Anyway, tiny yous would be adorable.”

“She has a point though.” Jack smiled. “If you wanted to start a family we could work around it.”

Gwen rolled her eyes. “Ok you lot, hold your horses. I’m not even married yet. But I appreciate the vote of confidence. Anyway, I’m not the only one in a relationship here.”

“It happened once and never again.”

“Ok, well back on Earth in the twenty first century I mean.”

“Ok Harkness, I can’t pick apart all of your stories but that one’s a stretch. How would you physically even do that?” Owen interrupted, not wanting that line of questioning to keep going. “Keeping in mind I’ve seen full scans of you.”

Jack looked over his glass and smirked. “It wasn’t pleasant and technically the child wasn’t mine, I was just carrying it for a bit. Fifty first century technology let anyone carry. Now, just because it was a prank doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.”

“I am not drunk enough for that mental image.”

“I wasn’t a fan waking up like that either. I spent the first hour calling everyone I could remember sleeping with just in case. Thankfully the father came to pick up the little one later that day. And I punched the one who set me up after that.”

“It was John wasn’t it.”

“No, for once it wasn’t.”

Melody giggled to herself. “If Tosh and Owen had babies they’d be smart enough for world domination. Sato-Harper twenty forty two. I’d vote for them.”

“Honestly, they couldn’t do much worse than our current prime minister.”

“Being as you’re planning our futures, what about you?” The doctor teased, bopping her on the head with a beer mat.

She stuck her tongue out at him. “I am not the mum type. I’m the strange aunt who the family don’t talk about type. I turn up at christmas and birthdays with presents and then disappear for the rest of the year. Anyway, Heather says she’s not a kids person either.”

“You’re going to be that old lesbian couple with fifteen cats that really overdoes the decorations at halloween.”

“My dream future.” 


	7. The truth can set you free

Gwen knocked on the door of Dr Plumbers home. He’d moved a few times since he had owned the hospital and had ended up living in a small cottage in the middle of the countryside. At seventy four he was trying to be left alone in his retirement. The wooden door creaked a little as he opened it. 

“Can I help you?” He asked, a patch covering his right eye and the years showing on his face. 

She gave a soft, calming smile. “Dr Plumber?”

“Yes?”

“We want to talk to you about St Margarets.”

He immediately tried to slam the door before Jack stuck his boot in it to stop him. 

“Dr Plumber please, we’re not here to blame you. We want to talk to you about Oliver Price.” She pleaded, not wanting to be aggressive with the elderly gentleman. 

He stopped and slowly opened the door. “What do you want to know about that monster?”

“Can we come inside?”

He looked up to the grey, angry, sky and sighed before turning and gesturing for them to follow. 

Jack held the door for Gwen then followed, closing the door behind him. The cottage smelled of pipe smoke and warmth. The open fireplace crackled and popped as the old man hobbled back to his chair. 

“So, what are you? Press? Police?” He asked, jabbing at the fire with a metal poker.

She sat on the sofa with Jack who was scoping out the room. It was clear the old man would be no threat but old habits die hard. 

She shook her head. “Neither, but we are trying to stop Mr Price harming anyone else.”

“Good luck. I don’t know what that man was but he could do things I’ve never seen before.”

“Such as?”

“Young lady, do you know what he did to those children?”

“We’re piecing that together, but whatever he did we know it directly led to the deaths of the two nurses and those seven children.”

He studied her for a moment before reaching to the patch over his eye, pulling it off. “Miss, the people who died that day were the lucky ones.”

She didn’t have much of an answer as she looked into the empty eye socket that was left.

“What that man did not only ended my career, it ended my life. I couldn’t stop the voices. The thoughts of every person around me. I stopped sleeping. I drank to stop the noise and one night, as I looked in the mirror I realised the only thing that would stop it. My son found me the next morning half dead because I’d cut my own eye out just to make it stop. Even now I sometimes hear it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You and me both.” He put his eye patch back on. “When he did this to me I couldn’t move. Just because he told me to sit I did. I couldn’t stop him doing this to me or stop him from murdering those children. My head security guard… He was a good man. I know he would have done anything to stop that bastard getting in and he told me he just watched. He couldn’t move. Like in a dream when you try to run but you never get anywhere.”

“Can we speak to him?”

“If you’ve got a ouija board, go ahead. Poor lad couldn’t take the guilt… Oliver Price disappeared off the face of the Earth after that night. What makes you think he’d come back?”

Gwen considered lying but there was no point. “We think he’s been following one of the surviving children.”

“Surviving?” For the first time his stony expression softened. “I heard they’d all… They were all gone.”

“The little girl that survived that night is still alive.”

“She… She’d be in her twenties now… You know, everything I did was to help those children. That’s the reason I opened the hospital in the first place.” His anger had dissolved into a deep sadness. “If you know about Price then you know about the contract I had with the military. It’s not as evil as it sounds… It was just meant to boost and support the childrens natural immune system and it worked. The death rate of the children born in my care was incredibly low. It was meant to make the children of this country stronger, more resilient. It was a long term investment in the military of the future as far as my benefactors saw it. I… I just wanted to help people.”

Back in the SUV Gwen sighed. “I feel sorry for him.”

“He had good intentions, but that doesn’t mean what he did was right.” Jack replied, pulling onto the unkempt country road.

“I know. It just feels like the punishment didn’t fit the crime.”

“All the more reason to find Price.”

“Shame the description was about as generic as you can get. White, male, between five foot nine and six foot tall, dark hair, dark eyes.”

“It’s better than nothing. We have his voice, a general description, and some bare bones knowledge about what he’s capable of.”

“Hopefully Owen has something on the silver stuff you found on the blanket.” She almost jumped as Owens name came up on the call screen. “Speak of the devil. Hi.”

The doctors voice rang out through the SUVs speakers. “You done already?”

“Just, yea. What’s up?”

“Well, two things. That stuff that was being given to the kids was harmless. It didn’t give much benefit but still.”

“That’s a good thing I suppose.”

“It was sent by the british military, no surprises there to be honest, but the project it came from was scrapped in nineteen ninety two. And the silver substance on the blanket, that’s the interesting part and the part that’s going to annoy me. The sample is pretty degraded. Two decades in the open air’ll do that, but it did bring up a link to something Torchwood’s run into before. In the sixties part of a ship was recovered from… I am not pronouncing that… Typical Welsh place with too many vowels. Anyway, not important.”

She rolled her eyes, deciding she wasn’t going to argue because that’s exactly what he wanted.

“The ship was prison transport and had a pretty large stash of confiscated items, one of which looked like a mangled together injector containing a silver liquid. It was toxic to most of the living subjects it was tested on, but one rat survived. It went on to create a rat hive mind in an attempt to escape.”

Jack laughed to himself. “I remember that. We called it the rat king. Took us three weeks to find it after it got out of its cages.”

“Either way, this all sounds a bit familiar. The rat that survived exposure was the youngest of the group and when it was examined after its death its eyes had mutated. Its body accepted the metallic goo as part of itself.”

“Why wasn’t it kept for long term study?” Asked Gwen, brushing a hair behind her ear.

“Sustaining the telepathic link was too much for it. Its heart basically exploded. After that it was ruled to be unusable and archived. The sample we have here is even more degraded than the blanket sample but Tosh is taking a look at the injector itself. See if she can work out what race made it and when.” 

Jack didn’t look like he was holding out any hope. “Sounds like it was a failed escape attempt. Or something uses it as a drug.”

“Or both.”

“True. We’re on our way back.”

“I wouldn’t rush, we’re going to be at this for a while.”

Tosh sighed, having taken apart the injector and recognised at least four different components from different races technology. It really was mashed together. That was to be expected as a device confiscated from a resident of a large prison transport. If the liquid inside did to the one who put the injector together what it did to the Earth based subjects then it would have been incredibly valuable to the prisoners, for communication alone but also to take control of the ship. Then again she considered the possibility that it hadn’t worked as it had been designed to. Yes, the tape said that Mr Price knew it would give telepathic abilities, but that left a wide scale of possible expected outcomes. From the way he’d spoken about it she also doubted he’d known how lethal it could be. Her mind drifted to the stolen NASA tech. Maybe Mr Price had stolen all of this for his own use. It wouldn’t matter where it came from at that point. She felt like she was trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with half of the pieces missing, and when she did find a missing piece it just revealed that the puzzle was bigger than she first realised. She hated that feeling because she knew where it would inevitably lead. A cold case. Too many questions left unanswered. Oliver Price had disappeared without a trace and if Melody hadn’t been conscious they wouldn’t even have confirmation that this was the same person. 

She placed the pieces of the disassembled injector into their storage box and began writing her report. It was a report she didn’t want to save as finished, but it was what it was. A two decade old case that they’d missed the first time around and couldn’t do much the second. 

That night Melody dropped her bag by the door like she always did when she got home. As it dropped it fell over and the small, pink, teddy bear tumbled out. She picked it up and took it over to the bookcase where its long faded and worn twin sat. The contrast was stark comparing them right next to each other. 

“I hope this is a better place to live than an abandoned hospital.” She smiled, arranging them tidily. “Looks like I’ll have to do the living for the both of us, hmm? When I was told about… About the hospital and you, I thought it was so long ago that I’d be ok. How can you miss someone you never knew? But I do. I always felt like everyone was hiding something from me. That something was you. I’m sorry you never got to grow up. I’m sorry I never got to really meet you… Out in the world I mean. I don’t know if those months kicking each other count. I… I thought someone had made some deal with an alien or something to give me my telepathy. I thought me being damaged was a fair exchange but it wasn’t. I never signed anything. I never gave you away… Aria. Whoever this Oliver Price is, whatever he is, I’ll make him pay for what he did to you. To all of us. I’ll live for all of you, even if I’m scared.” She took a slow, calming, breath. Refusing to cry. 


End file.
